美国留学生Business Essay写作范文：Designing Adaptive Organisations

美国留学生Business Essay写作范文-设计适应性组织。本文是一篇美国商务管理留学essay范文，主要内容是讲述中国政府曾在2011年宣布进一步“切断”稀土矿出口配额。中国削减了40%的稀土矿出口后，这对计算机和电子行业的组织来说是一个意外的打击。如今，大多数组织都在类似的不可预测、不稳定和充满活力的外部环境中运作，这些环境主要是“快速全球化”、“加速创新”和“激烈竞争”的结果。以下是这篇美国留学生essay格式范文，供参考。

Three weeks ago, the Chinese government announced a further ‘cut off’ of rare earth mineral export quotas for 2011. After a rare earth mineral export cut of 40% by the Chinese this year, this is an unexpected blow to organizations in the computers and electronics industry. (Bloomberg News, 2010)

Most organizations today, operate in similarly unpredictable, unstable and dynamic external environments that are mainly consequences of “rapid globalization”, “accelerating innovation” and “intense competition”. (Murray, 2010)

(Daft, 2010)The diagram (right) explicates that environments with a large number of external factors, that change rapidly, are highly uncertain. It therefore concludes, that organizations operating in highly-uncertain environments need to ‘adapt’ to the environment. (Daft, 2010)

图表解释了具有大量外部因素的环境，这些因素变化迅速，具有高度的不确定性。因此，它得出结论，在高度不确定的环境中运作的组织需要“适应”环境。

The term ‘adapt’ in this context refers to an organisations’ ability to ‘actively cope’ with the changes in its external environment. (Harwood, 1991)

在这种情况下，术语“适应”是指组织“积极应对”外部环境变化的能力。

As discussed before, we live in an era of uncertainty where age-old institutions like Lehman Brothers and Bear Stearns vanish overnight and brand new ventures like Google and Twitter appear from out of the blue (Murray, 2010). Therefore, this essay takes on a postmodernist approach and exemplifies effective ways to adapt to uncertainties in the environment.

如essay前文所述，我们生活在一个充满不确定性的时代，雷曼兄弟和贝尔斯登等老牌机构一夜之间消失，谷歌和推特等全新企业突然出现。因此，本文采用了后现代主义的方法，并举例说明了适应环境中不确定性的有效方法。

Strategy, Structure and Environment 战略、结构和环境

Porter described two generic strategies to cope with external environments. His strategy of cost leadership (attempting internal efficiency) relates more to stable environments while the strategy of differentiation (attempting innovation) relate to unpredictable environments. (Daft, 2010)

波特描述了两种应对外部环境的通用策略。他的成本领先战略（尝试内部效率）更多地与稳定的环境有关，而差异化战略（尝试创新）则与不可预测的环境有关。

(Daft, 2010)The diagram (right) matches organisational structure to Porter’s strategic goals. Here, organic structures are pertinent to organisations that adopt strategic goals of differentiation while a mechanistic structure fits well with organisations that attempt cost leadership (Daft, 2010).

图表将组织结构与波特的战略目标相匹配。在这里，有机结构与采用差异化战略目标的组织相关，而机械结构与尝试成本领先的组织非常吻合。

That being said, in a post-modernist society characterized by constant instability, it is important that organisations striving for efficiency are also able to adapt to the changes in the external environment. Consider for example McDonalds, a highly bureaucratic fast-food chain in the last decade that led to the concept of McDonaldization – an extension of Weber’s theory of rationalization (Ritzer, 1996). McDonalds strives for efficiency in their operations and their strategic goal is to provide their customers with the quickest restaurant experience. More recently however, with increasing competition in the external environment, the fast food-chain incorporated decentralization to their business model. Consequently, now, at the corporate level, a global framework of common goals, policies and guidelines are outlined, while individual geographic business units are expected to develop programs in compliance with local market conditions. (Hatch, 2006)

也就是说，在一个以持续不稳定为特征的后现代主义社会中，追求效率的组织也能够适应外部环境的变化，这一点很重要。以麦当劳为例，这是一家高度官僚化的快餐连锁店，在过去十年中产生了麦当劳化的概念——这是韦伯合理化理论的延伸。麦当劳努力提高运营效率，其战略目标是为客户提供最快的餐厅体验。然而，最近，随着外部环境竞争的加剧，快餐连锁店将权力下放纳入了其商业模式。因此，现在，在公司层面，概述了一个由共同目标、政策和指导方针组成的全球框架，而各个地理业务部门预计将制定符合当地市场条件的计划。

Contrary to popular belief, Weber’s model of bureaucratic control implies decentralized decision-making (Walton, 2005). Although McDonalds has adopted decentralization, it can still be considered a bureaucratic organisation (assembly-line to serve customers) except, now; a decentralized decision-making approach has made the organisation capable of adapting to market conditions.

与人们普遍认为的相反，韦伯的官僚控制模型意味着分散的决策。尽管麦当劳已经采取了权力下放的方式，但它仍然可以被视为一个官僚组织（为客户服务的流水线），除了现在；分散的决策方法使该组织能够适应市场条件。

Albeit, bureaucracies (incorporating decentralization) are able adapt to the environment, organizational designs (new organisational forms) stressing flatter structures, multi-skilled capabilities and a lower degree of informality (Clegg et al, 2008) are more efficient in dealing with changes in the environment. (Walton, 2005)

尽管如此，官僚机构（包括权力下放）能够适应环境，强调更扁平结构、多技能能力和较低程度的非正式性的组织设计（新的组织形式）在应对环境变化方面更有效。

For instance, United Technologies Corporation in the US has adapted a divisional structural approach allowing it to create divisions with separate functional departments for its different products – Carriers (air-conditioning and heating), Otis (elevators and escalators) and Sikorsky (helicopters) (Daft, 2010). Decision-making is decentralized in such structures and divisions can be based on product-lines, customer segments or geographic locations. (Hatch, 2006)

例如，美国联合技术公司采用了部门结构方法，使其能够为其不同的产品——航空公司（空调和供暖）、奥的斯公司（电梯和自动扶梯）和西科斯基公司（直升机）——创建具有独立职能部门的部门（Daft，2010）。决策在这种结构中是分散的，部门可以基于产品线、客户细分或地理位置。

SEI, an investment services company, operates in a team based structure where work is distributed amongst 140 teams approximately. Teams that focus on specific markets or serve major customers are permanent while most teams are designed to work on short-term assignments or problems. SEI functions in an open office environment where most desks are on wheels. Employees constantly change assignments and move from one team to the other. Organisations operating in team based structure readily adapt to the environment since it pushes responsibility to lower levels and allows managers to delegate authority. (Daft, 2010)

SEI是一家投资服务公司，以团队为基础运作，工作大约分布在140个团队中。专注于特定市场或为主要客户服务的团队是永久性的，而大多数团队都是为短期任务或问题而设计的。SEI在开放式办公环境中工作，大多数办公桌都在轮子上。员工不断地改变工作分配，从一个团队转移到另一个团队。以团队为基础的组织很容易适应环境，因为它将责任推到了较低的层次，并允许管理者下放权力。

Network structures are also flexible and easily adapt to market conditions. Strida, a company selling thousands of high-tech folding bicycles to people all over the world, is run by duo -Bass and Bennet. All processes including design, manufacturing, logistics, customer services, accounting are outsourced to other organisations while the duo only manage and ensure the smooth functioning of the partnerships in this network. (Daft, 2010)

网络结构也很灵活，很容易适应市场条件。Strida是一家向世界各地的人们销售数千辆高科技折叠自行车的公司，由Bass和Bennet二人经营。包括设计、制造、物流、客户服务和会计在内的所有流程都外包给了其他组织，而两人仅管理并确保该网络中合作伙伴的顺利运作。

Virtual networks are increasing in popularity. The best example of a virtual-network organisation is eBay – a market that allows buys and sellers to negotiate and make transactions over the Internet, not requiring any physical contact. (Hatch, 2006)

虚拟网络越来越受欢迎。虚拟网络组织的最好例子是eBay——一个允许买卖双方通过互联网进行谈判和交易的市场，不需要任何身体接触。

Danny Miller, in an empirical evaluation to explore the relationships of business strategies to the structures and environments of undiversified firms, concluded that although the right strategy can help organisations adapt to the changing environment, it alone cannot influence organisational performance. Furthermore, the study also indicated that the structure of an organisation alone does not have a direct impact on the environment unless aligned with the best strategy. (Miller, 1988)

Danny Miller在一项实证评估中探讨了商业战略与非多元化企业的结构和环境之间的关系，他得出结论，尽管正确的战略可以帮助组织适应不断变化的环境，但仅靠它并不能影响组织绩效。此外，该研究还表明，除非与最佳战略保持一致，否则组织结构本身不会对环境产生直接影响。

For instance, Apple Computers in 1985 faced deterioration in revenue due the company’s inadequate attention to the needs of customers. In response to company losses, 20% of the staff was laid off. This made no difference to company performance. However, in a further attempt to gain momentum, the company turned its strategic focus towards creating cooperative alliances with customers. With a limited amount of staff at hand, the company amalgamated the different segments at Apple – each performing individual functions – into a team. Apple’s crisis in 1985 and its combative strategy and restructuring is what laid the foundation for a company that is known to take calculated risks and speedily adapt to new market situations. (Harwood, 1991)

例如，1985年的苹果电脑公司由于没有充分关注客户的需求而面临收入下降的问题。为了应对公司的损失，20%的员工被解雇。这对公司的业绩没有影响。然而，为了进一步获得动力，该公司将战略重点转向与客户建立合作联盟。由于手头的员工数量有限，该公司将苹果公司的不同部门合并为一个团队，每个部门都履行各自的职能。1985年的苹果危机及其激烈的战略和重组为一家以承担精心策划的风险并迅速适应新的市场形势而闻名的公司奠定了基础。

Corporate Culture and the External Environment 企业文化与外部环境

A research conducted at Harvard found that a strong corporate culture alone does not ensure business success unless “the culture encouraged healthy adaptation to the external environment” (Daft, 2010, p80)

哈佛大学的一项研究发现，除非“企业文化鼓励健康地适应外部环境”，否则仅靠强大的企业文化并不能确保企业成功

(Daft, 2010) As per the diagram (left), it is important that organizations attempting to adapt to the external environment adopt either:

如图所示，重要的是，试图适应外部环境的组织应采取以下措施之一：

A culture allowing organisations to adapt (adaptability culture) to the external environment. (Daft, 2010). Dow Chemical rebuilt its corporate culture to that of which would personify a better appreciation to economic elements. In its attempt to do so, excessive hierarchies were removed from its structure to speed decision-making and a concept of “opportunity teams” was created to encourage innovation. The company also appointed a manager solely for the process of “de-bureaucratizing”. Dow’s culture now tolerates ‘unconventional behaviour’ and values ‘venturesomeness’. (Harwood, 1991)

允许组织适应外部环境的文化（适应性文化）。陶氏化学重建了其企业文化，使其能够更好地理解经济因素。在这样做的过程中，为了加快决策，从其结构中去除了过度的等级制度，并创建了“机会团队”的概念来鼓励创新。该公司还专门为“去官僚化”过程任命了一名经理。陶氏的文化现在容忍“非传统行为”，重视“冒险精神”。

A culture encouraging employee participation (involvement culture) in adapting to the needs of the external environment. (Daft, 2010). IBM, in its attempts to adapt to the changes in the external environment empowers its workforce with responsibility and decision making power. Employees at IBM are encouraged to take risks and are quite often reminded that it is their business. IBM is characterized by a flat organisation structure entailing a broad span of control. (Harwood, 1991)

一种鼓励员工参与（参与文化）以适应外部环境需求的文化。IBM在努力适应外部环境变化的过程中，赋予员工责任感和决策权。IBM鼓励员工承担风险，并经常提醒他们这是他们的事。IBM的特点是扁平的组织结构，需要广泛的控制范围。

Conclusion 结论

Alternatives to bureaucracies – flattening of organisational hierarchies through delayering, temporary structures (task forces, adhocracies, project teams) and permanent structures (quality circles, matrix forms) (Walton, 2005) – have emerged to adapt to the uncertainties of the environment. These alternatives combined with the best strategy and corporate culture help organisations adapt to postmodernist society.

References 参考文献

Clegg S, Kornberger M and Pitsis T (2008) Managing and Organizations, 2nd Ed, Sage, Chapters 12 and 13.

DAFT, R.L. (2010) New Era of Management. 9th Edition. Cengage

Miller, Danny. (1988). Relating Porter’s Business Strategies To Environment And St. Academy of Management Journal, 31(2), 280. Retrieved November 7, 2010, from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 136098).

Bloomberg News (2010). China to Cut Rare Earth Export Quotas by Up to 30%, Daily Says. Bloomberg Business Week. 18 October. Retrieved November 5, 2010

Harwood, Paul L (1991). Adaptive organizations and people : a literature survey for the Task Force on Workforce Adaptation. Halifax, N.S: Institute for Research on Public Policy. p5-24

Murray, Alan (2010) The End of Management; Corporate bureaucracy is becoming obsolete. Why managers should act like venture capitalists. Wall Street Journal (Online). 20 August. Retrieved November 5, 2010, from ABI/INFORM Global

Hatch, M.(2006) Organization Theory. Pages 102 – 112 (top) and 296 – 308

Josserand, E. Teo, S. & Clegg, S. (2006) From bureaucratic to post-bureaucratic: the difficulties of transition Journal of Organizational Change Management 19/1 pp. 54-64

Ritzer, G. (1996) The McDonaldization of Society. Pine Forge. London

Walton, E. (2005) ‘The persistence of bureaucracy: a meta-analysis of Weber’s model of bureaucratic control’. Organization Studies. 26/4 p: 569.

这篇美国留学essay范文在最后提出官僚机构的替代方案——通过分层、临时结构（工作组、临时组织、项目团队）和永久结构（质量圈、矩阵形式）来扁平化组织层级——已经出现，以适应环境的不确定性。这些替代方案与最佳战略和企业文化相结合，有助于组织适应后现代社会。本站提供美国留学生essay写作指导服务，如有需要可咨询本平台。